1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices for dispensing a beverage and a liquid medicant from a beverage containing bottle or cup, and more particularly to a liquid dispensing device which will simultaneously dispense a liquid beverage and a liquid medicine from a single spout formed as a unit with a lid sealably attachable to a cup or container.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of conventional upwardly opening cups for holding a quantity of a liquid beverage for consumption by a child will typically lead to spilled liquid beverage both on the child and on the floor. Sipping cups having a sealable lid with an upwardly opening spout provide a somewhat more controlled and less messy administration of a liquid beverage to a child and are well known.
Administering a liquid medicant or medicine to a young child may also be somewhat problematic, especially if the liquid medicine has a strong or offensive taste or smell. A number of prior art devices are known to simultaneously administer both a liquid beverage and a liquid medicant to the child through a rigid or flexible upper spout or nipple and are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents.                U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,245 issued to Aagesen        U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,532 issued to Martin        U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,122 issued to Botts        U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,054 issued to Verbovszky        U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,012 issued to Burchett et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,922 issued to Petterson, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,906 issued to Burchett et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,705 issued to Noble        U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,295 issued to Burchett et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,519 issued to Botts        U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,750 issued to Burchett et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,566 issued to Bennett        U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,644 issued to Kennedy et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,895 issued to Roskilly        U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,680 to Jones        U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,939 to Watson et al.        
Of particular interest is the cup with cover invented by Aagesen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,245. This disclosure does teach a rigid molded cup having a cover sealably attached to an upper end thereof which includes an integrally formed spout having two passages formed therethrough. One of the passages is in fluid communication with the interior of the cup and is presumed to be for dispensing a liquid beverage. The other elongated passageway is in fluid communication with an elongated cylindrical cavity for receiving a syringe, including elongated needle attached thereto for the simultaneous dispensing the liquid beverage from the container and a liquid medicine from the syringe held within the elongated adapter (5).